Having completed my study abroad program, I can say that my favorite place in the entire program was County Wexford. Located in Ireland's "sunny southeast," it is known for its rolling hills, sunshine, and strawberries. It also happens to be the county that the faculty member leading my program, Mrs. Pitts, is from.
I had taken quite a few classes with Mrs. Pitts prior to studying abroad with her, and she talked about County Wexford a lot in them. She would show us pictures, and talk about how society works there. I never thought that I would see it in person, and yet there I was!
The picture that I attached is from my favorite place we visited in the whole county - the Hook peninsula. It is home to the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on Earth, and we got to take a guided tour of it. Our guide did an excellent job conveying the importance of the lighthouse, and we saw some incredible views (and high winds) from the balcony at the top.
Afterwards, though, some of us went on a hike to the fishing village of Slade, further up the peninsula from the lighthouse. I snapped the photo of the landscape that I saw - lush fields leading up to dramatic cliffs, with a tumultuous, clear ocean beyond. I loved feeling the wind blow against me, and watching the fields of barley wave like the surface of the sea. I had simply never experienced sights like these in the United States.
That is what I hope to express through this blog - the sensations that I had in Ireland that were altogether new, as someone who had previously never traveled abroad. They were the cornerstone of the memories that I will carry from my study abroad for the rest of my life.
